'He was everywhere': Kansas State basketball guard Markquis Nowell a force on defense
AUSTIN, Texas — Kansas State teammate Mike McGuirl calls him a pest. Fellow transfer Mark Smith marvels at his combination of speed and strength.
To Markquis Nowell, playing in-your-face defense is just a part of who he is.
"It was just energy and passion," Nowell said last week after recording a career-high seven steals in a heartbreaking 60-57 loss to TCU. "I wanted to win the game and I knew it was going to come on a defensive effort."
That it didn't happen against TCU was more the result of K-State's miscues down the stretch at the other end of the court. But Saturday, in a 62-51 upset of No. 19-ranked Texas Tech, Nowell was at it again with a much better outcome.
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Nowell the point guard made K-State's offense go with seven points — including a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch — and nine assists. But it was on defense where he once again was at his disruptive best with five steals.
"He was huge. He was everywhere on defense," McGuirl said of Nowell, who is listed at 5-foot-8 but has referred to himself as 5-7. "They were trying to attack him and he wasn't going for any of it.
"He was getting steals (and) deflections. It seems like he had 10 steals, plus he had nine assists for us on offense. We're all the reason we won, but we wouldn't have won without him."
The victory was critical for the Wildcats, who had dropped their first four Big 12 Conference games and could ill afford another loss. At 9-7 overall and 1-4 in the league, they go on the road Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game against No. 22-ranked Texas (13-4, 3-2) at the Frank Erwin Center.
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It will be the second meeting in two weeks between the two teams. Texas came back from a six-point halftime deficit to beat a shorthanded K-State team, 70-57, on Jan. 4 in Manhattan.
Notably absent in the first meeting was Nowell, who missed the first two conference contests because of COVID-19 protocols. Big men Davion Bradford, Kaosi Ezeagu and Logan Landers also were sidelined for that game.
The return of Nowell, the team's second-leading scorer at 12.6 points a game and assists leader with a 5.5 average, certainly should help the Wildcats in the rematch. And his 2.6 steals lead the league.
"He's one of the better ones I've ever coached," K-State associate head coach Chris Lowery said of Nowell. "He can generate steals and generate extra possessions for us.
"Our thing with him is when you generate extra possessions, those have to be good possessions after the steal. Valuing the ball after you make a spectacular defensive play is something he really concentrated on (against Texas Tech)."
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After forcing a bad shot off a steal late in the TCU game, Nowell had just one turnover against Tech. His 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio now ranks second in the Big 12.
In his five years at Kansas State, McGuirl has played alongside some of the top defenders in school history.
Barry Brown, the program's career record-holder for steals, was Big 12 defensive player of the year when the Wildcats last won a conference championship in 2019. Xavier Sneed, who ranks third on the list, and No. 5 Kamau Stokes also were on that team.
But no one has been more disruptive than Nowell.
"As far as a pest goes, he's number one," McGuirl said. "In practice you can tell. You're uncomfortable dribbling, and that's sort of what got us all better.
"We guard each other every day and go against each other every day. Markquis is special."
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McGuirl gets no argument from Smith, himself a solid defender.
"Going against him every day in practice, he really will hound you," Smith said. "I think (Texas Tech) felt that because he's so fast and strong, too. I don't think people realize how strong he is.
"He's like everywhere, just a little pest."
K-State should be back at full strength on the interior as well against Texas. Without centers Bradford and Ezeagu on hand to hold down the middle, the Wildcats were outrebounded, 40-28, in the first meeting.
In that game in Manhattan, Texas guard Marcus Carr had 19 points and five assists, with fellow transfer Timmy Allen adding 17 points and 14 rebounds. Nijel Pack had 21 points and Selton Miguel 13 plus eight rebounds for K-State.
Texas, which is 11-0 at home this season, is coming off a 79-70 loss Saturday at Iowa State.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: K-State basketball guard Markquis Nowell a force on defense
